The HTC Vive isn't cheap, but that doesn't seem to have affected consumer demand.

Updated (March 1): HTC's Shen Ye has revealed that the company shifted 15,000 units within the first 10 minutes of the Vive going on sale. Presumably that is a worldwide figure, rather than specifically in the UK.

Updated: The total cost of HTC Vive is £746.60, once the compulsory shipping cost of £57.60 has been added in.

Original story

The HTC Vive virtual reality headset will cost £689 in the UK, HTC has confirmed. Pre-orders for the Vive open February 29 at 3pm, and will ship by April 5. "Full commercial availability" on HTC's website will be available from April 5, too, for those who like to live life on the edge rather than pre-ordering.

The Vive's UK pricing follows confirmation of US pricing earlier this month, where the headset will retail for $799. In Europe, the Vive will cost €899. Hopefully those prices include shipping, although, rather worryingly, HTC does note that "additional fees may apply" for taxes and shipping.

It's also worth noting that unlike the Oculus Rift—which costs £499/$599 without shipping—Vive pre-order customers are charged immediately, either via PayPal or a via a hold on a credit card. Those that take the plunge will receive the consumer edition of the Vive—pictures of which you can find here—along with two wand-like motion controllers, and two Lighthouse tracking boxes.

The UK Vive comes with three games: Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, Fantastic Contraption, and Google's Tilt Brush, the latter of which lets you paint in a 3D space and is quite the experience. The games will only be bundled for an undisclosed "limited time."

While the HTC Vive costs more than its rival the Oculus Rift, customers haven't had quite the same amount of sticker shock to its price, no doubt thanks in part to the Oculus price softening the blow. The Vive does come with more tech inside the box too: the controllers alone—the Rift just comes with a standard Xbox One controller—are said to make up a good £100 or so of the cost.

Further Reading

Suffice it say, we're curious as to whether the Vive's price will affect sales. Oculus pre-orders quickly sold out, with shipping dates subsequently pushed backed. With the backing of the likes of Valve, famed developers like Minecraft creator Markus Persson, and hardware makers like Nvidia—not to mention a far bigger push at gaming and trade events than the Oculus—the Vive is in with a shot of high sales too.

Then again, £689 is a lot of money. And for those of with the sad realities of life to deal with first, chucking HTC a hefty chunk of cash for a Vive might not be an easy decision.